Australia Tuesday blocked a call from a leading Muslim group for the introduction of a non-extremist version of sharia law, saying local legislation would always win in any clash of cultural values.

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils had urged the government to consider "legal pluralism" for Muslims in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into a new policy on multiculturalism.

Pakistan and the United States sought Monday to smooth a damaging row caused by Osama bin Laden's killing, calling for closer cooperation with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton poised to visit.

Pakistan's civilian and military leaders were left angry and embarrassed over a unilateral U.S. raid on May 2 that discovered and killed al-Qaida's chief living, possibly for years, two hours' drive from the Pakistani capital.

British police received a bomb threat for London from dissident Irish republicans Monday, on the eve of a historic trip by Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland.

The warning heightened tensions after a spike in violence in Northern Ireland and a statement by a top paramilitary group that the British monarch was wanted for "war crimes."

Three days of rioting linked to last month's presidential elections in Nigeria left at least 800 people dead, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

"Deadly election-related and communal violence in northern Nigeria following the April 2011 presidential voting left more than 800 people dead... The victims were killed in three days of rioting in 12 northern states," the New York-based rights watchdog said in a statement.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn's reputation with women earned him the nickname "the great seducer," and not even an affair with a subordinate could knock the International Monetary Fund leader off a political path pointed in the direction of the French presidency. All that changed with charges that he sexually assaulted a maid in his hotel room, a case that generated shock and revulsion, especially in his home country.

Police said the maid picked Strauss-Kahn out of a lineup. Unless the charges are quickly dropped, they could destroy his chances in a presidential race that is just starting to heat up.

A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck beneath the sea off Papua New Guinea on Monday, U.S. seismologists said, prompting a local tsunami alert.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which hit at 4:37 am (1837 GMT Sunday) at a depth of 43 kilometers some 120 kilometers west of the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The chief of Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency offered to resign in parliament following the U.S. commandos raid that shot dead Osama bin Laden, sources said Saturday.

Ahmad Shuja Pasha, chief of military operations and deputy chief of air staff, briefed lawmakers on Friday before they issued a resolution Saturday condemning Washington's unilateral action.

Pakistan's parliament Saturday demanded an end to U.S. drone strikes on its territory and called for an independent probe into the raid by U.S. troops that killed Osama bin Laden to ensure there is no repeat.

The strongly worded message came after a joint sitting of parliament lasting more than 10 hours, during which lawmakers debated the "situation arising from unilateral U.S. action in Abbottabad" which targeted bin Laden.

New York undercover police have arrested two men who bought weapons in an alleged plot to disguise themselves as Jews and unleash a bloodbath in Manhattan synagogues, city officials said Thursday.

The suspects, Ahmed Ferhani, 26, and Mohamed Mamdouh, 20, both of North African descent, were also alleged to have said they would attack the Empire State Building.

More than 40 people were injured Friday after a disgruntled former employee ignited a petrol bomb at a bank in a Tibetan-inhabited region of northwest China, local authorities said.

The attack in Tianzhu County at 8:00 am (0000 GMT) caused a fire, according to a statement issued by the county government.